We were recently at the George R. Brown Convention Center to check out millions of dollars in heavy equipment, all designed for mining, crushing, and hauling rocks. It was the AGG1 Academy & Expo, a trade show held alongside the National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association convention.

We didn’t get far before we met Julie Andras with McCloskey International. She was showing off a hulking piece of equipment called an impact crusher.

“It’s really a very robust project that will allow you to crush up concrete even if there’s rebar still in it,” explained Andras. “It’s got a great growl, it’s very loud. But that is a very quiet sound compared to when it’s at work. When it’s at work it’s crushing up huge concrete blocks and making a beautiful racket.”